Americans are known for their obsession over cars, with numerous new models being launched each year. This obsession has resulted in the development of numerous auto maintenance chains that strongly compete for business. Two of the leading auto repair firms are AutoZone (based in Memphis, Tennessee) and Pep Boys (based in Philadelphia). While AutoZone greatly outnumbers Pep Boys in the number of physical stores it possesses (4,600 stores compared to Pep Boys’ 612 stores), Pep Boys is miles ahead of AutoZone in almost every digital marketing field.

• Brand Websites: While both companies offer discounts on their home pages, together with store locators, the corporate website of Pep Boys is more creative in how this information has been presented to online customers. According to a leading digital marketing expert, the difference is as big as night and day, especially when it comes down to how they have used ‘digital and social’.

• Use of Coupons: The digital marketing coupons on the Pep Boys’ website are bordered with dotted lines, just like the ones that are used in traditional printed special offers. This has resulted in more consumers making use of them. Also, users can easily click-and-drag these digital marketing discounts around the screen to send to their friends (either through email, Twitter or Facebook). AutoZone, on the other hand, links to newspaper circulars from the bottom right corner, which is in a non-interactive PDF format.

• Calls to Action: While the digital marketing website of AutoZone may look a bit outdated, it is still better organised than other auto sites, and has clear call-to-action messages. According to a leading digital marketing expert, “the use of simple blocking elements by Autozone is visually very attractive, and helps customers differentiate between various sections of digital marketing content”.

• E-commerce platform: The online shopping platform of AutoZone is very simple to use, and is prominently displayed all over their website. Prospective customers will find it very easy to navigate, browse products and make purchases, using this digital marketing application.

• Email marketing: The email marketing strategy of Pep Boys outruns AutoZone by miles. It has an easy sign-up process, and the digital marketing messages have friendly brand imagery, like the company’s three mascots. In contrast, the email marketing messages of AutoZone looks like they’ve been copy-pasted from a Word document, without a second thought.

Qudos Digital is a leading digital marketing agency and can be contacted on 020 8891 2077 or info@qudosdigital.co.uk.